Something's Changed
by Obi-Wan'sPadawan
Summary: FINALLY UPDATED! Obi-Wan and Anakin visit a Jedi memorial, but a dark spectre lurks in the dark. And it seems that only one person can save them from the evil...
1. Default Chapter

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This place is so cold, thought Anakin Skywalker. _Not just a temperature cold, but something else as well. Something deeper._ Anakin looked up at his Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Despite the calm look on the Jedi's face, Anakin could feel the uneasiness inside. _What could be here that had even Obi-Wan upset?_

Something is very wrong here, Obi-Wan was thinking at the same time. _Like a dark shield around the whole place. I haven't felt anything like this since...since I fought the Sith. A Sith couldn't be here! _he thought in a brief moment of panic. _No, there is no Sith here. But there is something dark at work here._

"Master?" It took Obi-Wan a second to realize that he had not heard this in his thoughts. He shook his head quickly and turned to Anakin. But Anakin had seen that he had lost his focus and gave Obi-Wan a worried look. "Are you okay? You don't seem like yourself."

Obi-Wan ran his hand over the beard he had begun to grow. "I'm fine, Padawan. There is just something about this place that gets me uneasy."

Anakin nodded. "I feel it too. But I can't figure out what it is." He grimaced; he hated not knowing what was going on. Obi-Wan noticed his face and laughed. Anakin stared at him. "What?"

"Your face. You get this little look when you find out you don't know everything." He placed a hand on Anakin's shoulder. "Things will become clear as we move on," he said, becoming serious again.

"I know, Master." Anakin's face brightened as a new idea dawned on him. "Hey Obi-Wan. Before we leave Teyrallist, can we go check out that technology fair they're having in the main city?"

"What for?"

"To look at all the new stuff!"

__

Well, it's not why we came here, but what can it hurt? It's time to let Anakin do something that he wants to do. "Sure. After we visit the Memorial," he said pointedly.

"Alright! You're the best Master ever!" Anakin was smiling from ear to ear, putting Obi-Wan at peace about his decision. _Let the boy have a little fun._

Obi-Wan studied the boy. In four years Anakin had grown almost a foot and a half. His hair was still cut in the short style of a Padawan learner, and his braid was long enough that it reached the base of his throat. When nervous, Obi-Wan noticed that Anakin would unknowingly chew on it. Obi-Wan was trying to break the boy of that habit, especially after they'd gone through a garbage chute. _The boy has changed so much since I met him_, he thought.

Obi-Wan looked down at his map, and was unaware that Anakin was studying _him_ as well. _He usually seems so unsure of himself_, Anakin thought. _He's not sure if he's the right Master for me. Well, I wouldn't want any Master but him. He's the only one who tries to understand me. Everyone else just kind of drifts away. He's still young, maybe that's why he's so open to me sometimes. How old is he? 28, 29? Hard to tell. He looks older with his beard and hair. _

"This way." Obi-Wan said, breaking into Anakin's thoughts. "The Memorial is two miles this way," he pointed in the direction of a dense forest.

Anakin groaned. "I guess this means we won't be taking the speeder."

Obi-Wan smiled. "Right you are, Anakin. The forest is much too dense; we'd run into a tree. Besides, a nice hike will be good for you."

"Ooh, fun." Anakin replied sarcastically

"Glad you agree." Obi-Wan quipped as he began walking up the steep hill to the first tree.

Anakin rolled his eyes and trudged after his Master. After a few minutes they reached a thin, underused path. Anakin stared at it for a moment, but Obi-Wan simply began to follow it.

"Is this the path to the Memorial?" Anakin asked.

"Yes, it isn't far now. If a certain someone would hurry, we may get there before nightfall."

"I am hurrying!" Anakin protested, unaware of his Master's smile. They followed the beaten path for about an hour at a leisurely pace. Anakin was eager to just get where he was going, but stayed at his Master's pace. He would have complained, but the concerned look on his Master's face stopped him. Obi-Wan was worried about something, but what? _I wish he would tell me what's wrong,_ Anakin thought as he followed his Master. 


	2. Chapter Two

Finally, to Anakin's relief, they saw a small building appear out of the trees. Anakin raised an eyebrow.

"_That_ is the great Jedi Memorial? It's so small."

"Judge not by outward appearances", Obi-Wan answered. Anakin gave him a funny look. "It goes underground," he explained. He stepped up to the small building's door and began looking for a button to open the door. He found none and frowned.

"Please step away from the door." a voice suddenly said seemingly from nowhere. Obi-Wan stepped back and Anakin stood beside him. "Please tell me your name, your title, and your business here."

Obi-Wan and Anakin exchanged looks. "I am Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, and this is my Padawan Anakin Skywalker. We have come to pay respects to a fellow Jedi."

"Let me see your lightsabers." Obi-Wan's frown deepened, but he unhooked his lightsaber. Anakin sighed and unhooked his.

"I don't like this," he grumbled as he handed his weapon to Obi-Wan. A small slot opened up on the side of the building and Obi-Wan slid the lightsabers into it. They stood waiting for a few minutes. Finally Anakin lost patience.

"What is going on here? Where did that guy take our lightsabers? Something's messed up around here!"

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan snapped, just as the doors in front of them hissed open. Obi-Wan stepped inside first, with Anakin close behind. Anakin was looking around the circular room when the sound of footsteps caught his attention. An Ithorian was limping towards them. He reached the two Jedi and bowed to them.

"Greetings. I am Kelchu Omaaz, Jedi Master. I apologize for all the added security, but we had a break-in a few days ago." He handed Obi-Wan the two lightsabers. Obi-Wan replaced his on his belt and handed Anakin his.

Anakin stared at the Jedi Master. "What did you need these for?"

Kelchu chuckled. "Many things, young Padawan. Each Jedi has their own lightsaber design, so I check that. I also check fingerprints. And when your Master told me his name, it checked his voice."

"Every type of security needed," Obi-Wan remarked. "Why did someone break into the Memorial?"

"Beats me. But if you are going back there, be careful. There's been some reports of some kind of dark spirit floating around in the halls."

"Dark spirit?" Anakin asked.

"Yes. Other Jedi say that you can't see it, but you can see it through the Force very clearly. It has a very dark aura about it. It can attack you too. It attacked one Jedi, and he died. He was brought out by another Jedi in a coma, but he later died. Of what, we don't know. And we don't know what it is or how to get rid of it. So my advice to you is to go in there and get out as fast as you can."

Obi-Wan bowed his head respectfully. "Thank you for the warning. We will be careful. I just wish to add something to my Master's memorial and show my Padawan a few of them."

The Itorian nodded. "May the Force be with you." He turned and went back through the door he came from. Anakin stared after him, then looked up at Obi-Wan.

"You think that's what has been bothering us all day? That spirit thing?"

"I don't know Anakin. But he did say it was of the dark side, so it could be. But come," he began to walk to a large door," the sooner we get in there, the sooner we can leave."

Anakin followed Obi-Wan through the door and down a long flight of stairs. The stairs exited into what looked like a long hallway with small domed holes carved in them. But Anakin noticed that as they passed the domes, a holo of a Jedi would pop up. Then it would disappear as they reached the next one. Anakin was so engrossed in watching the holos of the dead Jedi appear that he didn't realize Obi-Wan had stopped. He ran into Obi-Wan from behind and nearly fell down,

Obi-Wan looked at him with a warning look on his face. "You should keep your awareness up, Padawan."

"Yes Master. I know." He was about to say something else when he noticed the holo that Obi-Wan was standing in front of. It was Qui-Gon Jinn. It was a holo taken not long before his death, and to Anakin looked just like the last time he saw him alive. Strong, full of life, and so wise.

He looked away from the holo and watched Obi-Wan take a wrapped parcel out of the pocket in his cloak. He unwrapped it carefully and pulled out a familiar object. He placed Qui-Gon's lightsaber in a small indention in the dome. Anakin looked around at the other domes and noticed, for the first time, that most of them also had a lightsaber.

Obi-Wan reached into the dome and pulled out a small square object; a holocube. He flicked it on and handed it to Anakin. Anakin scrolled through the pictures. All of the first ones were of Qui-Gon as a child; playing in the lakes in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, or in a class. The next holo was of a teenage Qui-Gon standing proudly, with his new Padawan haircut and braid. Anakin stared at picture after picture. Some of Qui-Gon and a teenage girl; his first Padawan. A few others were of Qui-Gon and a dark-haired boy. Finally Anakin reached a holo of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. The Obi-Wan in the holo was no more than fourteen years old, his face bright with excitement. There weren't too many holos after that, and finally after one with a twenty-five year old Obi-Wan dueling Qui-Gon, the holocube shut off.

"He died only a few weeks after that last holo," Obi-Wan commented sadly.

"Oh," Anakin said quietly. He looked up at his Master, but Obi-Wan seemed lost in his memories. Suddenly Anakin felt sorry for him for the first time. _Maybe that's why he's so unsure of himself... He thinks he wasn't ready to be a Knight when he became one. He misses his Master a lot. I hear him talk to Qui-Gon sometimes, when he thinks I'm asleep._

Anakin was about to try and comfort his Master when a strange darkness crept into his senses, like fog through a small crack. Anakin involuntarily took a step back, then turned to look at his Master. Obi-Wan was standing a good way from Anakin, stiff and with hands clenched tightly. Anakin looked up at his face, but was bothered by the look in Obi-Wan's eyes. A haunted look had just come over them, like he was seeing his worst nightmare.

Then around a corner, the source of the darkness came at them. Invisible to their eyes, they had to look at it through the Force. They watched the highly defined disturbances it made as it seemed to turn around in front of them. What Anakin assumed was the front turned to regard him for a moment, but then turned to Obi-Wan with seemingly greater interest. It sped through the air and came to a stop mere inches from Obi-Wan's face. Obi-Wan instinctively took a step backward, but the spirit seemed to follow him.


	3. Chapter Three

Anakin watched it as the spirit circled his Master, with Obi-Wan trying not to take his eyes off it. After circling a few times it came to a stop in front of the Jedi. Both Master and apprentice watched in horror as it changed shape in the Force before their eyes. Instead of a ball of darkness, they could now see it as though it were visible to the naked eye. Its red eyes narrowed and its small, jagged mouth lifted into a evil grin.

"_Ka..no..biii." _a voice from nowhere said. "_Ka...nobiii_." 

Anakin watched his Master's face go from fear to plain horror. Then the spirit demon flew into Obi-Wan's face. Obi-Wan fell backward onto his back as if hit, but Anakin could no longer 'see' the demon. He was about to see if his Master was alright when Obi-Wan kicked out on the floor. Anakin watched, shocked, as Obi-Wan writhed on the floor like he was having a seizure, but a look of sheer pain and horror on his face. Obi-Wan kicked out forcefully once more, then clamped his hands over his ears, his mouth open in a silent scream.

Obi-Wan's eyes opened once, but they were unseeing. Anakin then saw the spirit demon leave his Master's body, and it seemed to turn to admire the damage it had done to the strong Jedi. Obi-Wan lay on his back, his eyes now closed. He was unconscious, with an occasional, small, spasm.

Anakin whirled on the spirit, his blood boiling. When the demon began to turn to leave, Anakin stepped forward.

"So that's it?" he shouted. He knew he should control his feelings, but he could not. "You just come attack my Master, who by the way was not doing anything to you, then leave?" He pulled his lightsaber from his belt and ignited it. "Come on! Come fight someone who can fight back! Are you afraid? Afraid a mere Padawan will beat you?"

The boy didn't flinch as the demon spirit flew around his head like he had Obi-Wan. The face grinned at him, but did not attack.

"_Sss....iiiiitttthhhhh." _The spirit grinned once more, then took off down the hall. Anakin took one swing at it's departing form, but did not dare leave his Master. When he no longer felt the demon's presence, he shut off his lightsaber and rushed to his Master's side.

"Obi-Wan! Master! Wake up." Anakin pleaded, holding his Master's head in his arms. Obi-Wan did not reply, and if it weren't for his steady, but shallow, breathing, Anakin would have thought him dead. Anakin feared now that he would die. He also feared that the shadow demon would come back to finish him off. Cursing silently his predicament and not knowing what was wrong with Obi-Wan, Anakin grasped the shoulders of the larger Jedi's tunic and began to drag him out of the hall.

After what seemed like hours, Anakin finally got out of the halls and up the stairs to the entrance. He was hesitant to leave his Master, but ran to retrieve the Ithorian for help. He found a door in the direction Kelchu had gone and began pounding on it.

"Hello? Open up! We saw that spirit thing! Hello?" Anakin continued to pound until the Ithorian opened the door slightly and peered out.

"You saw it?" he asked in a small voice.

"Yes! It attacked my Master, but I don't know what's wrong."

The Ithorian's eyes widened. "He was attacked? Oh no." He turned away, and Anakin heard the mechanics in the door activate. He was going to shut himself in!

"Hey! What do you think you're doing? Obi-Wan needs help! You can't just abandon us like that!" Anakin slammed the palm of his hand against the door.

He heard the Ithorian's faint voice through the door. "I can't go anywhere near him! He's been infected by the dark side. Now leave him and get away from here."

"Leave Obi-Wan! No way! He's my Master! I can't just abandon him because he's sick, or injured or something like that!"

"Go, child! For you're own safety. You cannot help him, no one can help him."

"Thanks for nothing nerf-brain!" Anakin kicked the door in anger before returning to his Master. He sat on the floor for a while until an idea popped up in his head. He stood up and went up to the Ithorian's door. Igniting his lightsaber, he cut a large hole through it. When the metal peeled back, Anakin stepped through.

The Ithorian was curled up in the corner, eyes as wide as old memory discs. "It has made you mad! You're _mad_!" he screeched.

Anakin ignored the crazed Jedi and began searching the room. Along one wall was the control panel for the door and security. Thinking ahead, he opened the doors to the Memorial. He tried the comm, but all he got was static. He slammed it back onto the table and rounded on the Ithorian. He roughly hauled him off his feet by the neck of his thin tunic.

"You are going to help me, understand?" Anakin asked through gritted teeth. The Ithorian made no noise. "Listen to me!" Anakin began, but the Ithorian promptly fainted. Anakin snarled in frustration and dropped Kelchu onto the floor. Stepping over the limp body, Anakin began searching for anything that would help him. Finally, after twenty minutes, he found what was a treasure in his eyes, a grav sled.

He quickly pushed it out back onto the hall to his Master. He knew he would never be able to pick his Master up, so he shut the grav sled off completely so that it came to rest on the floor. Anakin roughly rolled his Master over until he was on the grav sled.

"I'm sorry, Master." the Padawan said. He turned the grav sled back on, and pushed it at a run out of the door. He then had to slow down as he tried to make his way back to the ship through the woods. It took him the better of two hours to reach the edge of the woods, where he stopped.

He couldn't just go walking through the town with his Master on the grav sled. People would think something was up. Reaching into the pockets of Obi-Wan's cloak, he pulled out the small bag of credits that was always there. He counted them out along with his own.

"Stang!" he shouted. He was two credits short of being able to get a rental speeder. Merchants on this planet were very tough, and even if you were one credit short, you couldn't get what you wanted. He sat in the grass for a moment, watching the people in the street. One grime-covered boy was following a man, his hands held outward. He seemed to be begging. Finally Anakin saw the man turn around and drop a credit into the boy's hand.

"That's it!" Anakin exclaimed. "I'll just ask for the credits." He turned to the still form of his Master. He slowly and carefully pushed his under a large bush. "No one will see you here. I'll be right back." Anakin didn't expect an answer, but he said it anyway. With that, Anakin turned and ran into the street.

The first person he approached was a woman in fine silk clothes. "Excuse me, ma'am." Anakin had said. "Can you maybe spare me one or two credits?"

She simply looked at his as if he were suddenly sprouting extra eyes and rushed away. Anakin continued to ask dozens of people, and only managed to get a piece of candy from one woman. Discouraged, Anakin sat on the curb with his head in his hands. He was staring of into space when a speeder came flying down the street, spraying rain water as it went. Anakin turned his face away from the water, and saw the answer to his problem.

Deep down in the drain, he could see the sun reflecting from numerous metal objects at the bottom. Credit chips. They were at least six feet down, and out of the reach of any normal person. But Anakin was a Jedi. Reaching out with the Force he lifted most of the credits up to the metal covering. Then he brought them to his hand, grasping them tightly. He stood up and ran as fast as he could back to his lookout in the woods. He quickly counted them and discovered that he had enough for the speeder, and a little extra.

After making sure no one had found Obi-Wan, he ran as fast as he could to a rental store he had seen earlier in the morning. As soon as he walked in the store owner stared at him intently.

Anakin walked calmly up to the counter. "Do you have any two-seater speeders?"

The large alien blinked at him, then turned to pull out a grimy datapad. He pressed a few buttons then turned back to the boy. "Yesssss. I do. But it will cossssst you one hundred sssssixty creditsssss. No lessssss. If you don't have it, turn around and leave."

Anakin counted out the credits and set them on the counter. The reptilian hissed at the fact that the boy had given him only small number credits. He slowly counted them to make sure. he looked up at Anakin. "Follow me. I will ssssshow you to the ssspeeder." The alien shuffled out from behind the counter and went out a back door. Anakin followed and saw the alien standing next to an ancient speeder.

The alien tossed Anakin a small card. "That activatessss the sssspeeder. You can't ssstart it without the card. You will bring it back in no more than two dayssss, or you will be charged a hefty late fee. Or something elsssse." he threatened.

"Don't worry, I only need it for one thing. I should be back with it today." Anakin said as he hopped into the driver's side. He started the speeder and was backing it out into the road.

"Well, don't essspect the fee to change!" the reptillian shouted after him as he sped away.

Anakin drove quickly, but carefully back to the woods. He pulled the speeder up into an opening in the trees, hoping no one had seen him. Anakin rushed to the bush and pulled out the grav sled. Obi-Wan was still unconscious, but was talking. Rambling was more like what he was doing. Anakin paid him no attention until he heard his name. He whirled to face his Master, thinking he had awakened, but Obi-Wan was still out.

"Anakin...failed...Anakin. Master...so....sorry...Sith...Anakin...Qui-Gon...no... NO!" he suddenly yelled. Anakin rushed to his side to see if he could help. Obi-Wan fell quiet, and spoke no more. When Anakin reached for him in the Force, he felt nothing. Obi-Wan was alive, or at least his body was, but Anakin could not find _Obi-Wan. _Search as he would through Obi-Wan's mind, he only felt a void where his Master's spirit had once been. This alarmed Anakin more than anything, so he hurriedly heaved his Master onto the speeder and slowly made his way onto the street.

Hitting the gas for all it was worth, Anakin sped down the road as fast as he could. He had to swerve a few times to avoid hitting pedestrians, but did not slow down until he had reached their ship. Anakin lowered the ramp and pulled his Master out of the speeder and into the ship. He clumsily put Obi-Wan on a med sleep-couch and then went to return the speeder. The alien was surprised, but pleased to have his vehicle back so quickly. Anakin then ran the rest of the way back to the ship. 


	4. Chapter Four

He first hooked Obi-Wan up to the life sensors in the med-bay. Then he went to the cockpit and activated the comlink, setting it to the secret Jedi frequency.

"This is Padawan Anakin Skywalker. My master is down and I don't know what is wrong. I need assistance right away! Repeat, this is Anakin -"

"Ani?" a female voice asked over the comm.

"Yes!" Anakin said, relieved to have found someone. He recognized the voice, but wasn't sure of who it was.

"What's wrong with Obi-Wan?"

"Who is this?" Anakin asked instead of answering.

"This is Siri. Now what's wrong with Obi-Wan?'

Siri! She was Obi-Wan's friend. "He's not conscious, but I can't feel him. I mean, his body's there, but his spirit isn't."

Siri was quiet for a moment. "Give me you coordinates." Anakin complied and fed the coordinates to her ship, wherever she was. He waited a minute while she read over them. "Good. You're only a small jump away. Ferus! Put these coordinates in and punch it! We have an emergency!" she told her Padawan, Ferus Olin, who was out of Anakin's earshot. "We'll be there as soon as we can. Try to reserve a port next to you. Siri out." After that, Anakin could get no more from her.

Doing as she asked, Anakin ran down the ship's ramp to the owner of the spaceport. "Excuse me, sir!" he shouted over the continuous whine of engines. The Dresselian turned to face the small human running towards him. "Could you please keep the port next to my ship open?"

The Dresselian stared at him for a moment with his wrinkled face, then turned his attention to the datapad in his hand. "No one's scheduled to land in it. But why do you want it?"

"I have some friends who are coming and they wanted to be right by us. I'm sure they'll pay for the space." Anakin shouted.

The owner nodded. "I'll keep it open. What is their ship's name?"

Anakin paused. He didn't think to ask Siri what the name was. "I don't know. But her name is Siri and she's with a boy named Ferus Olin."

"You don't know her last name?"

"No. I don't even know if she has one!"

"I will make sure she gets it, but she will still have to pay docking fees. When will they be here?"

"I'm not sure, but sometime before morning."

"Ok, I'll keep it open." the Dresselian repeated before walking back into his office. When Anakin returned to his ship, he was suddenly frightened by the quiet and stillness. He went into the med bay, but Obi-Wan was still the same as when he had left him. Anakin returned to the cockpit and plopped down in the pilot's seat. It was too quiet for him. Normally Obi-Wan would either be talking with him, or practicing with his lightsaber and a droid in the back. Now, there was nothing. He looked at the copilot's seat and could almost see Obi-Wan sitting in it, wearing the impish grin that came less and less as time went by.

__

This is what life would be like if he died, Anakin suddenly thought. _I would forever see him, but he wouldn't be there. The Temple would try to give me a new Master, but I wouldn't allow it. I would leave the Order and forever be a drifter, no family and friends. _Anakin glanced back into the still med bay. _He'd better not die. Please don't die, Obi-Wan. You're all I have._


	5. Chapter Five

Time passed, but Anakin wasn't sure how much. He was still sitting in the pilot's seat, thinking. He was so into his thoughts that he almost didn't hear the comm crackle to life. He'd set it on the frequency of the docking bay, so that he could hear if Siri was talking with the owner. She was now.

"Do you have a 492 Behani Freighter in your docks?" she was asking.

"I do." the Dresselian said simply in reply.

"Do you have a spot open next to it where I can land. I have some friends in there."

"What is your name?"

"Hana Domaas." _Stang! _Anakin thought. _She's using an alias._

"I'm sorry. That's not the name that I was told to listen for."

"Wait!" Anakin shouted into the comm. "This is Anakin Skywalker on the Behani Freighter. That is the person I was waiting for."

"I thought you said her name was Siri?" the owner asked, obviously confused.

"Um, Siri is just a nickname. She always uses it, so I thought she would this time. But that's her."

"If you say so. Ms. Domaas, you may land in Bay 83F. You should come to my office later to pay for the rental space."

"Whatever." Siri said. Moments later, a small cargo ship landed next to Anakin's ship. After shutting down, Siri and Ferus strode up to the office and paid the fee. After that was done Siri waved to Anakin from the floor, gesturing for him to lower the ramp. He did, and in moments she was behind his seat in the cockpit.

"Hello, Ani." The blonde-headed Jedi studied Anakin for a minute. He was the same boy she had worked with a few times, but now there was something different about him. Dread and fear was what she felt from him now, replacing the bravery and certainty she associated with Anakin Skywalker. _Something really horrible must have happened. Has Obi-Wan died?_ she wondered. _No, I would have felt it._ But when she searched for Obi-Wan in the Force, she found nothing.

"Hello," Anakin said blandly.

"Where's your Master?" she asked, trying to brace herself if the boy said he was dead.

"Well, I don't know where _he_ is, but his body is back there."

This comment left Siri feeling confused, but she turned to her Padawan. "Ferus, stay out here with Anakin. I'm going to check on Obi-Wan." The boy nodded and took a seat in the copilot's chair. Siri rushed to the back of the ship until she reached the med bay. There, lying on a stiff sleep couch, was Obi-Wan.

At first she thought he was dead, because she felt nothing from him in the Force. But as she got closer, she could see his chest rise and fall with his breathing. She approached the cot and kneeled by it. _What happened?_ She absently pushed a stray strand of hair out of his face as she studied him. He looked as though he were just deeply sleeping. She reached into his mind with the Force and felt the same thing as Anakin, nothing. She was still probing when Anakin came in.

She turned to him. "Tell me what happened."

Anakin sighed. "We went to visit the Jedi Memorial so he could put Qui-Gon's lightsaber in it. When we got there the Ithorian warned us of a dark spirit haunting the halls. Well, when we were down in there, it found us. It was so weird; you couldn't _see_ it with your eyes, but you could see it easily through the Force. It came at us and floated around Obi-Wan for a minute. Then it said his name."

"His name? How could it speak?" Siri interrupted.

"I don't know. The voice sounded like it came from nowhere, but we heard it. It said Kenobi, so it knew who he was. Well, then it kinda flew into his face, and it knocked him down. I thought maybe it had just hit him, but then he started spazing out. He was on the floor, jerking and kicking. Then the spirit left him and just flew down the hall."

"It didn't attack you?" Ferus asked

"No. It floated around me for a minute, then it just left. Like it wasn't interested in me. Like it had something against Obi-Wan." Anakin looked up at Siri, his eyes innocent and hurt. "Will he die?"

Siri had no answer for him. She could only stare at the boy's blue eyes.

Anakin looked down. "He will die then. Kelchu said that the other Jedi who was attacked died."

"Kelchu Omaas?" 

"Yeah. The Jedi at the Memorial." Anakin's face darkened. "He wouldn't even help me after Obi-Wan got attacked. I tried to make him help me, but he fainted. Some Jedi."

"Oh, well Kelchu never did do well under pressure, That's why all he does is guard the Memorial. And after the first Jedi was attacked, he got really paranoid. He kept thinking that the spirit was going to get him."

"Oh," was all that Anakin had to answer.

"Well, since there are more of us here," Siri suddenly said, "I think we may need more food. I don't think it's safe to leave until Obi-Wan is better." _If he gets better, _she thought. She shook her head and turned to the two boys, handing Ferus a small bag. "Why don't you and Anakin go into town and get some food." She focused on Anakin. "It may help to clear your head."

Anakin nodded solemnly, glancing at Obi-Wan's still form. Then he turned to Ferus. "Well, let's go!" He turned and walked quickly to the ramp of the ship.

Ferus looked up at his Master. "Are you sure about this?"

Siri nodded. "Something tells me that we will endanger Obi-Wan's life if we leave."

Ferus nodded and trotted after Anakin. As soon as the boys left, Siri turned her attention to Obi-Wan. She took out a small med kit and began to inspect his health. His heart beat was abnormally slow, along with his breathing. She opened the lid to one of his eyes to look at it, but it sent a chill up her spine. His eyes were dull and lifeless, not the way she remembered them.


	6. Chapter Six

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"I won't be gone long," Obi-Wan had said as he walked alongside her in the Temple. "I'm just going to put Qui-Gon's lightsaber in the Memorial and show Anakin around a bit."

"You always say you won't be gone long." Siri had answered.

He had glanced at her sideways, a suspicious look on his face. "What does it matter?"

"Nothing." Siri had said, but a little too quickly.

He then stopped and turned to her, a mischievous look in his eyes that reminded her so much of when he was a boy. "There's something else to it, then." He grinned. "Will you miss me?" he asked in a teasing voice.

She gave him her best get-a-life look. "Why_ would I miss _you_?"_

He just smiled.

No more was said until they reached the opening to the hanger. He turned to her. "Don't worry so much. I'll be fine, we'll_ be fine."_

Siri had just stared. How had he known that she was worried? Finally she found her voice. "I know, Obi-Wan."

"Well, Anakin will be getting impatient soon." He placed a hand on her shoulder, sending an odd chill through her body. But he seemed not to notice. "I'll see you when I get back, if you're here that is."

"Goodbye, Obi-Wan. And may the Force be with you."

He smiled, a smile that lit up his eyes. "May the Force be with you too." He nodded to her, then turned and walked through the hanger door. Anakin had yelled something at him, and he had shouted back, but it was not a reprimand. She had watched him go on to the ship, then watched as the ship lifted off and disappeared in the distance. She couldn't shake the feeling that she would never see him again.

Something has changed between us, she realized. Or at least for me. She had stood there, staring at the place where the ship disappeared, until Ferus finally found her and told her of their meeting with the Council.


	7. CHapter Seven

Siri blinked. She had felt that she would never see him again, but this was worse. Obi-Wan was not there, his body was just an empty shell. She set aside all of her medical tools and simply watched him. He was beautiful, she decided. His hair was a little too long, and his beard made him look older, but he was still a very handsome man.

She reached out and gently stroked his hair. _What happened to you Obi-Wan? It must have been something awful._ She slowly reached into his mind again, this time going deeper. She was about to give up and pull out, when she felt him. Reaching out like a tiny tendril, a bit of his spirit was reaching for her presence.

Siri smiled and closed her eyes. "Obi-Wan." she said quietly. She reached for him in his mind, and she felt his presence grasp onto hers. She could feel his happiness at feeling her beside him, but also a profound sadness.

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Siri...

Siri's eyes opened with a start, but she did not break their connection. _Obi-Wan?_ she asked through the Force.

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Yes. What are you doing here?

Anakin called over the comm and asked for help. What happened in the Memorial, Obi-Wan? She could feel his sudden wave of sadness as he pulled slightly away from her.

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I...I don't really want to 'talk' about it.

Can I see, maybe?

No. I don't think it's-

-Obi-Wan, how am I supposed to help you if I don't know what that thing did to you?

It showed me things...

Can I see?

She pushed further into his mind, following the tendril of his spirit. She finally reached where the rest of him was. Whatever he had seen had caused him to retreat very far into himself. She tried to go further, but hit the mental shields he had put up.

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Please Obi-Wan. Let me see so I can help you.

She could feel his hesitation. Then the shields in his mind collapsed, and in her mind images began to flash before her.

She unconsciously gasped. These scenes were filled with death and destruction. Images of every death Obi-Wan Kenobi had ever witnessed flashed before her eyes. Cerasi, Bruck Chun, Xanatos, Tahl, Flip, and countless others flashed in front of her eyes, each dying horrible deaths. As each death occurred, Siri could feel the pain that Obi-Wan felt. Then came Qui-Gon. She watched, helplessly, as the Sith monster struck Qui-Gon through. A grief so great ripped through her body. She choked back a sob and tried to pull away from the visions.

But whatever had shown them to Obi-Wan had not been through with him yet. Each death reoccurred, but this time things were different. This time they showed Obi-Wan in places where he could have easily prevented each one of them. For Cerasi, he was right beside her with his lightsaber, in a position where he could have easily deflected the deadly blaster fire. For Bruck, he was only inches away from the boy when he fell. She suppressed another shudder as Qui-Gon died, and Obi-Wan just stood there, a mere two feet away.

Then new images flashed across her mind. Coruscant in ruins, Jedi lying dead where they fell in battle, a dark, masked figure killing another Jedi. Then she saw herself, being killed by soldiers in white armor. She heard Obi-Wan's cry of denial and abruptly pulled her presence away.

For a moment, the Jedi only stood and stared down at Obi-Wan's still form, trying to catch her breath. The things he had shown her were horrible; no wonder he had pulled inside himself. And if they were bad for her to see, then they must have been ten times worse for Obi-Wan, the reason being that he had actually seen them happen.

She composed herself before reaching into his mind again. To her surprise, she felt not a tendril, but a large amount of his being coming to greet her.

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Are you alright? he asked her.

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Me? I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about. What can I do for you?

Nothing. Nothing can be done for me.

She was abruptly pushed with force out of his mind. She wasn't angry though; she felt he needed to think about it by himself. She placed a loving hand on his face, and just smiled at his still form. She ran her hand down his face to his beard. She stood up and prepared to leave, but stopped. She bent over to kiss his cheek, but something made her stop centimeters from his face. She thought for a moment, then kissed him on the mouth. She closed her eyes, and pulled away. When she opened her eyes, she realized that she wasn't the only one who had.

Obi-Wan's blue eyes gazed at her with a look she had never before seen on him.

"Siri." he said weakly through a dry mouth. He lifted his head up to hers and kissed her again, this time longer than she had him. She returned the kiss. When they finally separated, she looked at him with eyes glistening with tears.

"Obi-Wan, we all thought you'd never come back. And I thought you would..." she trailed off.

"Die?' he offered. She only nodded. He leaned back against the thin pillow. "I almost did. Whatever it was that attacked me didn't just show me all those things. It tried to break me, so it could crush my spirit. It almost did. That's why I pulled myself in so tight. Then it began to show me...the deaths." He closed his eyes. "It was like they were happening all over again, they were so real. And when it showed me standing by them all, not trying to save them, I believed that it was real." He looked away, but Siri could see his unshed tears.

"And you blamed yourself." Siri said. Obi-Wan nodded. "Oh, Obi-Wan." Siri leaned over to gather him into a hug. He simply clung to her for a few minutes. Then she broke away and gently pushed him back onto the cot. "Rest, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Sleep, but do not dream." She closed his eyes with her hand and sent him calming waves through the Force. She felt him relax, and within minutes was asleep. She smiled at him and gently held onto his hand.

She didn't know how long she sat there, but she heard the boys return. She listened as a bag of food dropped onto the floor and footsteps rushed toward her. She turned her head and saw Anakin enter the room. He looked down at Obi-Wan and sighed, the disappointment visible on his face.

"He's still out. I was hoping he'd snap out of it." Anakin said sadly.

But at the sound of Anakin's voice, Obi-Wan stirred out of his sleep.

"Ankin?" he asked groggily.

"Master!" Anakin rushed over to Obi-Wan and hugged him the best he could with Obi-Wan lying down. Anakin pulled away, but was all smiles. "How?" he asked simply.

"Siri." Obi-Wan answered, just as simply. He tried to sit up, but didn't even make it halfway up before he collapsed again. He laid down for a moment and tried to catch his breath again.

"What did that thing do to you, Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked, his blue eyes worried,

Obi-Wan simply shook his head and closed his eyes.

"I think he needs to rest. We still don't know if he's going to be alright or not," she whispered, although she didn't have to. Obi-Wan had fallen asleep again. Siri shooed the Padawans out of the med-bay and returned to Obi-Wan's side.

She watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest for a moment. Then she smoothed his hair back out of his face and kissed his forehead. "I love you, Obi-Wan." For a moment, her own words shocked her. Why had she just said that?

She thought about it for a moment. Then she continued to stroke his hair. _Yes_, she thought,_ I do love him. That was the change that I felt. And it became even more evident when I kissed him._ She ran a finger gently over his lips. _When exactly did it happen?_

She closed her eyes and racked her memory.


	8. Chapter Eight

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The water ran smoothly over the flat rocks. Trees and shrubs flowered beautifully throughout the forest. It was beautiful, or would have been if Siri wasn't a tied-up hostage. The men dragging her jerked the rope once more and she came to rest under a large tree.

"What'll we do with her?" one of the men asked.

The one with one eye turned to her. "Whatever we want. As long as we keep her tied up." He crouched in front of Siri, who involuntarily recoiled. He reached out and roughly grabbed her chin. "Didn't know Jedi could be so pretty. Seems like a waste though."

"Yeah Jedi can't do anything." a red-head added.

"Well," the one-eyed man released her chin, "we'll just have to show her what she was missing, won't we boys?"

"Yeah!" came the unanimous answer from all four men.

Just then from the woods came the sound of a speeder bike. All four men's heads snapped up at the noise.

"Grab her and let's go!" the man with one-eye shouted. Red-Head grabbed the roap roughly and picked her up. He clumsily held onto her as the climbed up the rocks to the top of the waterfall. Red slipped once, banging Siri's head on the ground. He either didn't notice or didn't care. They were running as fast as they can, but reached a dead end when they reached the top. The steady climb ended in a steep cliff.

One-Eye turned and looked around frantically. " Kreth! What'll we do?"

A guy with a missing tooth stepped forward. "We can climb it, but not with her."

Red-Head stepped forward after him. "Let's just throw her."

One-Eye turned to Red-Head sharply. "Where?"

"Down there." He pointed to the lake below the waterfall.

"Yeah, yeah. Good idea. Give me her rope." He snatched the rope and tied it once more around her legs. He whispered in her ear," Happy landings." With that he picked her up and hurled her over the edge of the waterfall.

The fall seemed to take forever for Siri. She tumbled head over heels a few times, before landing in the freezing cold water with a splash. She opened her eyes and couldn't see but four feet in front of her, nor could she hear anything on the surface. She held her breath as long as she could, but she estimated she had been down there for about two minutes. Her time was running out fast, and darkness was beginning to claim her mind.

Just as she was about to pass out, she heard a splash of water, but it sounded so far away. Then she felt strong arms scoop her up and kick toward the surface.

The next thing she knew, was that she felt somebody's mouth on hers. Then they would pull away and pound on her chest. Oh great,_ she though, still groggy as she took a deep breath of air, _the pervs came back for me. _Then she realized that she was no longer tied up. She began to gather her strength, then decided to open her eyes, just to see how many were there._

What she saw was a bearded man gazing at her with worried blue eyes. "Are you alright?" asked an accented voice. A voice, and an accent she recognized.

"Obi-Wan?" she gasped.

"Yes." It was Obi-Wan, her very best friend. Then the reality of what just happened hit her.

She began to cry. She had been so close to death, and so close to the men having their way with her that she just broke down. To her surprise, Obi-Wan gathered her up on his arms and held her. She had never wanted him to let go.

Siri opened her eyes. _Yes,_ she thought, _that's when I truly fell for him._ She gave his hand another squeeze as she stood up. She slowly made her way to the cockpit, to find Anakin dozing in the pilot's chair, and Ferus fighting sleep in the copilot's chair. She prodded Ferus awake enough to get him to go to one of beds. Then she picked up Anakin and placed him gently in one of the bunks. He mumbled something incoherant and rolled over. She smiled and patted one of his shoulders. She returned to the med-bay to find Obi-Wan suddenly turning in his sleep.

He was tossing and turning, mumbling. "No, not Qui-Gon....no," he was saying. Siri went and sat next to the bunk, and took his hand in hers. He tossed once more, then calmed. Siri smiled sadly and laid a hand on his head.

"You'll get better, Kenobi. I know you will. You're strong."


	9. Chapter Nine

Anakin watched as his Master slept. The Knight had claimed that he was feeling much better, but Siri had still insisted that he stay resting for a while. This irritated Obi-Wan slightly, but he complied. Anakin knew how his Master felt, wanting to move around but not being allowed to. It was very frustrating, but Anakin felt that Obi-Wan handled it very well. Anakin himself would have gone mad.

He looked up as he heard the mechanics of the door move and open. Siri walked in, carrying a tray of food. She smiled at Anakin before stepping past him.

Anakin grinned. "Is that for me?" he asked, nodding towards the food.

Siri shook her head. "Nope. Your food is out there on the table. Better get to it before Ferus does. That boy could eat a tauntuan."

Anakin's eyes widened, then he hopped off of his chair and rushed out of the door, shouting at Ferus as he did. Siri smiled and took his seat. She gently shook Obi-Wan. "Wake up, Kenobi. C'mon. Wake up!"

Obi-Wan awoke with a start, looked over at her, then covered his eyes with is hands. "_That_ is not what I wanted to see," he joked.

Siri slapped his shoulder. "Your'e so nice to me. Now sit up, I've got your food."

Obi-Wan grinned and sat up. As he was eating, Siri took out a small needle. "What are you going to do with that?" he asked suspiciously.

"I'm going to take some blood. I need to do some testing on it."

The Jedi narrowed his eyes. "Why do you need to do that?"

"Relax. I just want to find out if that thing put anything in your blood or if it changed anything." Obi-Wan nodded, then pulled up the sleeves of his shirt. He watched as she searched his arm for a vein, then watched as she pulled out some blood. She patted his arm when she was finished and stood up. "Alright, I'm going to run some tests on this real quick. Eat," she commanded, pointing to the food.

He nodded and began to poke the stuff with his fork. Siri laughed and shook her head as she stepped over to the computer. She pressed the screen and sank down into the chair. She put the vial of blood in a collecting drawer and waited. Finally the computer gave her the chemical contents of his blood, along with the contents of a default human. Everything seemed normal at first, then she scrolled down to a new page.

She frowned and laid a finger on the screen. Obi-Wan's blood showed a high concentration of a chemical the computer labeled as 'mesalium'. She'd never heard of that chemical before. She turned to the screen with a typical human's results on it. This screen showed no mesalium in the blood at all. Not even a trace.

She turned to looked at Obi-Wan, who was eating with a shaky hand. He noticed her gaze and froze. "What?"

She sighed. "There's a high concentration of a chemical called mesalium in your blood. It's not supposed to be there, and it's the only thing that's gone wrong. I don't even know what mesalium is."

Obi-Wan frowned. "It's part of a liquid used in embalming on Kyros."

"_Embalming? _You've got embalming solution in your blood?"

Obi-Wan gave her a blank stare. "I suppose." Then he made a face. "How could I have gotten that in there? Is it deadly?"

Siri shrugged. "I don't know. It's used on _dead_ people." She shook her head, still unable to figure out why the hell Obi-Wan had an ingredient to embalming solution in his veins.

"Perhaps that thing put it in there," Obi-Wan suggested. "After all, I'm pretty sure it was a dead thing."

"It wasn't solid though, from what you've told me. And I don't see how it could have put that stuff in your blood."

Obi-Wan looked down at his forgotten food for a moment. "We should go back. I'll bet the only way to figure any out would be to go back."

"You can't go back! It could try to finish you off."

"I feel like I have to go back."

"The Force is telling you to go back and put your life in the phantom hands of an evil spirit? I don't think so. I don't know what Force you're using, but the one I follow doesn't condone suicide." She turned back to the computer and typed mesalium in a database. She read the result out loud. " 'Mesalium, an ingredient in the traditional embalming solution of the native peoples of Kyros. The chemical is taken from the stems of the mahajeer plant. If digested, mesalium will cause a gradual shutdown of the body's organs. Contact medical support immediately if ingested.'"

"It doesn't say anything about what to do if it's in your blood."

"I'm pretty sure it'll have the same affect as it being in your stomach." She stood up from her chair. "I'll be right back," she said, stepping out into the cockpit. She turned on the comm and pulled a pair of headphones onto her head so the Padawans could not overhear. She dialed in a frequency.

"Hello? Hello? This is Jedi Knight Siri Tachi. I have a medical situation and would like to ask a medical expert a question."

"Siri Tachi, this is Maleb Deraxx. I am a qualified medic. Can I answer your question?"

"Perhaps. Are you familiar with the chemical mesalium?"

"Actually, yes. I was part of a research group studying the effects of different chemicals. What do you need to know?"

"Yes, I have a friend who has a very high concentration of mesalium in his blood right now. At the moment, he seems to be doing quite well, though he has developed a slight tremor in his hands."

"He has mesalium in his blood?" the doctor asked.

"Yeah, that's what I said. Now, is there anything I can do to help him, or will it even hurt him?"

"How long has he been affected?"

"Oh, about a day now."

"Hmm...Usually after twenty-four hours the victim is suffering from breathing problems. Shaking and tremors usually take affect after an hour. What planet are you on?"

"Teyrallist."

"Really? You couldn't have found a more fortunate place to be. Alright, there is an antitoxin. A plant called the sherub. If you were to find one of these plants, boil it, and use the liquid as a drink, that would cancel out the effects of the mesalium, dissolving it from his blood."

"Where is this plant located?"

"Well, unfortunately it's not on the surface of the planet. It likes cold, damp, dark places. Teyrallist has an abundance of underground tombs, which has ideal conditions for the plant to grow. So the best place to look would be an underground memorial or tomb. I know it's creepy, but I understand that the Jedi have a memorial on the planet. It should be no problem for you to go in there and find the plant. I'm also sure your database will have a holo for you to see."

"Alright. Thank you so much Mr. Deraxx. You've been a great help."

"Always a pleasure to help a Jedi," he said, then cut off the transmission. Siri practically leapt from her seat and rushed back into the medical bay, past a confused pair of Padawans. She sat down next to Obi-Wan's cot. He was staring blankly at his hand.

"Obi-Wan?" she asked, noticing the particular look he had on his face.

"I can't move my fingers."

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Oh no, it's spreading, Siri thought to herself. "It'll get worse. Listen, I talked to a medic and he said that there's a plant that grows underground that will help get rid of that junk. So I'm going to go back into the Memorial and get some for you, ok?"

Obi-Wan nodded, still staring at his hand. "Take the Padawans."

Siri shook her head. "No. They need to stay here with you. I'm going to go alone."


End file.
